Florida football: Gators land former LSU TE and 5-star recruit Arik Gilbert

Former five-star LSU tight end Arik Gilbert is on the move to Florida football, bolstering the Gators at just the right time.

Florida football just got a touch of revenge on an SEC rival, landing the commitment of former five-star tight end Arik Gilbert from LSU.

The No. 5 prospect in the class of 2020, per the 247Sports composite, announced his decision on Sunday via Twitter.

https://twitter.com/arik_gilbert/status/1356018599580868611

Gilbert is the second former five-star prospect to make his way to Florida after running back Demarkcus Bowman, formerly of Clemson.

Arik Gilbert is Florida’s perfect replacement for Kylie Pitts

Florida couldn’t have dreamed up a more ideal athlete to help fill the gap left by Kylie Pitts. The junior tight end declared for the NFL Draft following an outstanding-but-trimmed season. He had 770 yards and 12 touchdowns in just eight appearances for the Gators. Injury alone seemed capable of slowing him down.

Since Florida’s three leading receivers, Kadarius Toney, Pitts and Trevon Grimes, won’t be returning for the 2021 campaign, adding a top-tier playmaker is a huge boost for the Gators. Gilbert will have a starring role from the moment he steps on campus in Gainesville.

Gilbert entered the transfer portal at the start of January after sitting out the last month of the 2020 season. Sources for 247Sports suggested he was homesick.

The opt-out and transfer certainly weren’t because he was unproductive at the college level. His skills from high school seemed to translate perfectly as he caught 35 passes for 368 yards and two touchdowns in eight games with the Tigers.

Coincidentally, the first game he missed after deciding to step away from LSU was the matchup with Florida.

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